London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

Priti Patel says sorry for mistreating staff in first TV interview after bullyin

Priti Patel says sorry for mistreating staff in first TV interview after bullyin

Priti Patel has apologised for her treatment of civil servants amid mounting pressure on Boris Johnson to sack her as Home Secretary.


The Cabinet minister said that she is ‘absolutely sorry’ and that she ‘never intentionally set out to upset anyone’ after an official investigation found she broke the ministerial code.

She said: ‘I have clearly upset people in the past and on reflection – and I have had time to reflect upon this as well – looking at what has been published today on the report, there is no question I’m absolutely sorry for the upset that has been caused and I’m very, very clear about that.’

A breach of the ministerial code usually leads to a prime minister, who is the ultimate arbiter of the code, asking the minister in question to step down.

But Boris Johnson is allowing Ms Patel to keep her job, saying he disagreed with the report’s findings.

He reportedly told MPs to ‘form a square around the prittster’ as he cleared her of bullying allegations.

His adviser on Ministerial Standards who carried out the report, Sir Alex Allan, resigned in response to Mr Johnson’s decision to back Ms Patel.

A Government statement said the PM has ‘full confidence’ in the Home Secretary and ‘considers this matter now closed’.


Priti Patel said she did not intentionally mean to upset anyone


Ms Patel spoke to broadcasters tonight, saying: ‘I’m sorry that my behaviour has upset people and I’ve never intentionally set out to upset anyone.

‘I work with thousands of brilliant civil servants every single day and we work together day in day out to deliver on the agenda of this Government and I’m absolutely sorry for anyone that I have upset.’

She added that she wanted to change the ‘culture and ways of working’ in the Home Office, but noted that it was a ‘challenging department’ where ‘we’re making life and death decisions every single day’.

In his report, Sir Alex Allan said the Home Secretary had not always treated civil servants with ‘consideration and respect’ and concluded that her approach on occasions ‘amounted to behaviour that can be described as bullying in terms of the impact felt by individuals’.

He said Ms Patel had ‘not consistently met the high standards required by the ministerial code’ though said there was ‘no evidence that she was aware of the impact of her behaviour’.


Boris Johnson has reportedly told MPs to ‘rally around the Prittster’


That has been refuted by a top civil servant who resigned in February – triggering the inquiry into Patel’s conduct.

Sir Philip Rutnam stepped down as the Home Office’s permanent secretary, accusing her of a ‘vicious and orchestrated briefing campaign’ against him.

In a statement issued by the FDA union on Friday evening, Sir Philip said: ‘I have a high regard for Sir Alex Allan and regret his resignation, but I was at no stage asked to contribute evidence to the Cabinet Office investigation which gave rise to his advice to the Prime Minister.

‘The advice states that no feedback was given to the Home Secretary and that she was therefore unaware of issues that she might otherwise have addressed. This is not correct.

‘As early as August 2019, the month after her appointment, she was advised that she must not shout and swear at staff. I advised her on a number of further occasions between September 2019 and February 2020 about the need to treat staff with respect, and to make changes to protect health, safety and wellbeing.’

He also claimed that ‘enormous efforts’ were made to support the Home Secretary and respond to her direction.


Sir Philip Rutnam has contradicted claims Ms Patel was not aware the impact her behaviour was having


In her apology Ms Patel said there were ‘no excuses’ for what happened.

However she seized on Sir Alex’s assessment of her awareness, telling the BBC that ‘any upset that I’ve caused is completely unintentional and at the time, of course it says it’s in the report, that issues were not pointed out to me’.

In his resignation, Sir Alex said he recognised that it is for the Prime Minister ‘to make a judgment on whether actions by a minister amount to a breach of the ministerial code’.

But he said it was right that he should resign from his position as the Prime Minister’s independent adviser on the code after Mr Johnson disputed his findings.

The PM’s defence of Ms Patel has sparked fury from opposition MPs, particularly as it came during Anti-Bullying Week.


Sir Alex Allan has resigned as Boris Johnson’s adviser on ministerial standards


Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: ‘It is hard to imagine another workplace in the UK where this behaviour would be condoned by those at the top.’

Matthew Rycroft, the current permanent secretary at the Home Office, said relationships between officials and ministers at the department had ‘improved considerably’ but admitted the report made for ‘difficult reading’.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Lord Evans of Weardale, said Sir Alex’s resignation was ‘deeply concerning’ and that his committee would look ‘urgently’ at what had happened as part of its review of the ministerial code.

Defending his actions, Mr Johnson’s press secretary Allegra Stratton said: ‘The Prime Minister does personally take these allegations exceedingly seriously. He loathes bullying. He takes it very seriously and recognises that it is very difficult for people to come forward and raise concerns


‘He did say that he would not tolerate bullying. He hasn’t tolerated bullying. It is not his belief that Priti Patel is a bully.’

Downing Street indicated that the full report into Ms Patel’s conduct would not be published in order to protect those who gave evidence.

A Cabinet Office investigation was launched in March over allegations that Ms Patel belittled colleagues and clashed with senior officials in three different departments.

It followed the resignation of then-permanent secretary Sir Philip, who is claiming constructive dismissal at an employment tribunal.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
×